Bay Alarm Medical vs. LifeStation

Old age comes with a number of challenges and one of them is dealing with different medical emergencies. At this stage in life, most people are not able to live on their own and require assistance in carrying out their daily activities. In such cases, it is important to have a reliable medical alert system that can help seniors in case of an emergency.

Medical alert systems are designed not just for seniors, but for people of all ages who have medical conditions that require close monitoring. These systems typically consist of devices that can be worn around the neck or wrist, which are connected to a base station. The base station, when triggered, will then be connected to a monitoring center that is staffed with trained professionals who can provide assistance in case of an emergency.

Two popular medical alert system providers are Bay Alarm Medical and LifeStation. Both of these companies offer a wide range of products and services that can be tailored to the needs of your loved ones. Read on to learn more about each company and what they have to offer.

	Bay Alarm Medical	LifeStation
Overall Grade	Overall Grade: A	Overall Grade: A-minus
Costs
Monthly Cost Price	$19.95 - $49.95	$32.95 - $49.95
Device Cost	$0 - $159	$0 - $99.95
Shipping Fee	$12	$12.5
Cancellation Fee	No fee	No fee
Fall Detection Fee	$0 - $10	n/a
Cellular Fee	n/a	n/a
Spouse Monitoring	$39	$0 - $3.95
Features
Connectivity Option	Cellular or Landline	Cellular or Landline
Two-way Speaker & Microphone	Yes	Yes
Home-based Back Up Battery Life	32 hours	32 hours
On-the-go Battery Life	6-18 hours or 72 hours	120 hours or 120 hours
Button Range	1000 ft	600 ft, 650 ft or 200 ft
Water Resistant	Yes	Yes
GPS Tracking	Yes, some plans	Yes, some plans
Caregiver App	Yes, some plans	Yes, some plans
Response Time	20 seconds	28 seconds
More Details	See All Plans	See All Plans

Bay Alarm Medical

Pros:

• Offers flexible payment terms
• Offers a risk-free 30-day trial period
• No hidden charges
• Plans can be customized according to needs and budget
• Dedicated to providing excellent service to customers
• Caregiver app with geofencing capability
• 24/7 US-based monitoring

Cons:

• Required upfront one-time device fee of $99 and $159 for the Mobile GPS Help Button and Smartwatch, respectively
• Fall detection costs $10 a month.

LifeStation

Pros:

• Offers automatic fall detection feature
• Find My Loved One provides care providers with location-based services.
• Offers device with a beautiful jewelry-like appearance
• No long-term contracts and does not charge a cancellation fee
• 30-day money-back guarantee for new customers
• Low-cost monitoring for spouses and loved ones
• On-the-go devices can last up to days

Cons:

• Plans are considerably more expensive than other providers
• No landline connection for a home-based system
• No caregiver app
• Covers a radius of only 600 to 650ft

Bay Alarm Medical Overview

Bay Alarm is a trusted medical alert provider across the US. Monthly monitoring fees from Bay Alarm start at $19.95 up to $49.95 a month. The company offers both home-based and on-the-go systems, as well as a variety of equipment options to choose from. Whether you need extra protection inside your home or outside of it, Bay Alarm has a system that's right for you.

Bay Alarm is committed to excellence and experience, offering 24/7 monitoring service through their own CSAA Five Diamond Certified professional monitoring centers. Their monitoring centers undergo random inspections by the UL testing facility to ensure that they are providing the highest quality service possible.

Medical Alert Systems

In-Home Basic

The In-Home Basic plan is the most basic plan that Bay Alarm offers. This plan uses a landline as a connectivity option and costs $19.95 a month. The plan includes a base unit and a waterproof personal help button that can cover a range up to 1000ft. Fall detection can be added to this plan for an additional $10 a month.

In-Home Preferred

Bay Alarm's In-Home Preferred plan is a cellular-connected home-based system with a variety of features that costs $29.95 a month. This plan also includes fall detection, which can be added for an additional $10 a month. This plan is popular because it offers free shipping when you pay quarterly, and free shipping plus a free one-month monitoring fee when you pay annually.

In-Home Premium

This plan includes a base unit, a help button, and four wall buttons that you can place around the house for added security. You can get this plan for $39.95 a month, or quarterly or annually for a discounted rate. You also have the option to add fall detection for an additional $10 a month.

SOS Mobile Lite

For those who are constantly on the go and require a reliable and easy-to-use mobile medical alert system, Bay Alarm's SOS Mobile is a great option. Unlike their home-based system, SOS Mobile requires a one-time device payment of $99.

The device is compatible with both AT&T and Verizon 4G-LTE networks, plus it comes with a caregiver tracking app and GPS location monitoring capability. Additionally, the device is IPX6 water-resistant and can last up to 3 days on a full charge. Fall detection monitoring is available for an additional $10 a month.

SOS Mobile Plus

This plan is very similar to SOS Mobile Lite and their only difference is the automatic fall detection comes free with this plan. This plan has a monthly monitoring fee of $39.95 and comes with a one-time equipment fee of $99.

SOS Mobile 360° Bundle

This system is a combination of home and mobile devices that provides the best of both worlds. For $49.95 per month, on top of the one-time device cost of $99, you may have the In-Home Preferred + Mobile device + Fall Detection. This package reduces the overall cost compared to purchasing each plan separately.

SOS Smartwatch

The SOS Smartwatch is another option on Bay Alarm's on-the-go systems. Just like the SOS Mobile, it is priced at $29.95 a month but with an additional $159 equipment fee for the smartwatch.

The SOS Smartwatch does not come with a fall detection monitoring feature, but it does have optimal display lighting, clear two-way communication, an SOS button, and a step tracker. The device is also powered by the 4G-LTE cellular network, which allows fast response speed and GPS location tracking. The device has a modern look, is water-resistant, and has a battery life of 6 to 18 hours.

In-home + Smartwatch

This plan costs $49.95 a month. You'll save money by taking advantage of this plan, which also includes access to 24/7 monitoring service, location tracking, and in-home protection. This plan basically consists of the in-home system and SOS Smartwatch.

LifeStation Overview

LifeStation is a medical alert company that has been in the business for over 18 years. They offer both home-based and mobile systems, making them a great choice for those who want reliable protection both at home and on the go. However, all their devices work only through the 4G-LTE cellular network and it can be a major consideration since not all areas in the country have a strong cellular signal.

LifeStation offers standard features that are found in most medical alert systems. Their devices are waterproof and come with GPS location tracking and an automatic fall detection feature that can be really helpful in case of an emergency.

With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and certification from The Monitoring Association, this company is a reliable source for your medical alert needs. LifeStation has two US-based monitoring centers located in New Jersey and Texas and both are staffed by care specialists who are trained to assist in any emergency situation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including holidays. Both of the monitoring centers are UL-listed and CSAA Five Diamond Certified which means that they are held to the highest industry standards.

Medical Alert Systems

At Home Standard

LifeStation's At Home Standard plan consists of a base unit that works through the AT&T cellular network and a water-resistant help button that can be worn as a pendant or wristband and can cover a range of 650ft from the base unit. The system has a clear two-way speaker and microphone and a backup battery that can last up to 32 hours in the event of a power outage.

At Home Supreme

At Home Supreme comes with a monthly monitoring fee of $44.95. This system consists of everything in the At Home Standard plan plus a free Lockbox that allows first responders to access your home if you're unable to open the door in an emergency.

The system's monthly subscription plan already includes automatic fall detection. The base unit also comes with a backup battery that can last up to 32 hours, however, it only covers a range of 600ft.

Sidekick Standard

This on-the-go system costs $37.95 a month for monitoring, plus a one-time device cost of $99.95. It comes with a tiny, lightweight pendant with a built-in two-way communication help button that is water resistant and can last up to 5 days after being fully charged. It also has GPS tracking and a caregiver app called Find My Loved One so you can easily find out where your loved ones are if they wander off.

Sidekick Supreme

The Sidekick Supreme from LifeStation costs $49.95 a month for monitoring, plus a one-time device cost of $99.95. This includes everything in the Sidekick Standard plan, plus a fall detection feature that can automatically detect if a fall has occurred and send an alert to the monitoring center.

Sidekick Smart

If you're looking for a more low-key and high-tech medical alert system, Sidekick Smart is an excellent option. You can get this plan for $43.95 a month with a one-time equipment fee of $99.95. This includes a smartwatch that has built-in two-way communication, GPS location tracking, and fall detection capabilities as well as 24/7 access to emergency help.

Sidekick Smart also comes with a pedometer to track step count, a heart rate monitor to push you toward a healthier lifestyle, and a weather forecast feature so you can always be prepared for the day ahead. Plus, the smartwatch is water-resistant and can last up to 5 days on a single charge, so you don't have to worry about it running out of power when you need it most.

LifeStation Luxury

This beautiful pendant is a must-have for fashion-forward seniors who don't want to wear or be seen wearing a typical medical alert device. The pendant is carefully crafted with high-quality materials, including a brass case with rhodium-colored plating, a center-faceted blue resin stone, and a 30" brass chain.

The pendant pairs wirelessly via bluetooth with LifeStation's Mobile LTE device, which connects to a 24/7 emergency monitoring center. In case of an emergency, the wearer can push the help button on the pendant that will trigger the Mobile LTE device to call for help. This on-the-go system costs $43.95 a month and the pendant has a 1-year life span and a range of 200ft from the base unit.

Let's see how these two medical alert providers compare in terms of price.

Bay Alarm's monitoring fees start from $19.95 up to $49.95 a month whereas LifeStation's monitoring fees start from $32.95 up to $49.95 a month. When it comes to one-time equipment fees for their on-the-go devices, LifeStation charges lower than Bay Alarm with a fee of $99.95 compared to Bay Alarm's $99 to $159 charge.

Bay Alarm and LifeStation charge a reasonable amount for their shipping fees at $12 and $12.50, respectively. One major difference between the two companies in terms of pricing is that Bay Alarm charges an additional $10 a month for the automatic fall detection while LifeStation included the feature for free for some of its systems.

When it comes to extra buttons, LifeStation charges an additional $3.95 a month for spouse monitoring while Bay Alarm charges only a one-time payment of $39. This is a significant difference, which may make Bay Alarm a more appealing choice for those who are looking for an affordable medical alert system.

Let's now move on and compare the features that Bay Alarm and LifeStation's systems offer.

Both providers offer a wide range of products with multiple features, giving customers plenty of options to choose from. Bay Alarm offers home-based systems that include landline or cellular-connected base units with two-way speakerphones, wearable water-resistant help buttons that can cover a range up to 1000ft from the base unit, and wall buttons for a premium plan that can on the high-risk areas of the house for added protection.

The company also offers small waterproof mobile devices with GPS tracking and automatic fall detection capabilities that are perfect to use when traveling or spending time outside the home. These devices can last up to 72 hours when fully charged.

Additionally, Bay Alarm offers a medical alert device in the form of a smartwatch that has all the features of the company's mobile devices but also includes an SOS button, GPS location tracking and step counting capabilities. This device does not come with a fall detection feature as the company believes that fall detection will not be as accurate when worn on the wrist and can trigger a number of false alarms.

On the other hand, LifeStation also offers home-based systems that only work through the 4G-LTE cellular network. The company does not have wall buttons and its devices can only cover a range of 600-650ft. However, fall detection is already included in their Supreme package so users won't have to pay an additional cost for the feature. Plus, they offer a free Lockbox that usually comes as an add-on to most medical alert systems.

The company also has on-the-go systems that include a small mobile device that can be worn as a pendant or clipped on the belt. This device also has a two-way speakerphone, fall detection, and GPS tracking capabilities and can even last up to 5 days on a full charge. The company also offers a smartwatch with a pedometer for step tracking, a heart rate monitor and a sensor for weather changes.

Monitoring Center

Monitoring centers play a vital role in any medical alert system as they provide the 24/7 assistance that users need in case of an emergency.

Both companies have monitoring centers that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ad 365 days a year. Bay alarm's monitoring centers are located in Utah and Idaho while LifeStation's are located in New Jersey and Texas. Their monitoring centers are CSAA Five Diamond Certified which means they have met the strictest guidelines in the industry for quality and reliability.

Their monitoring centers are equipped with emergency response operators that are trained to provide the assistance you need, whether it's contacting a loved one or first responders in case of an emergency. Bay Alarm's operators can assist users within 20 seconds after the help button is pressed. They can also accommodate up to 170 languages, making them accessible to a wider range of users.

On the other hand, LifeStation's monitoring center can also accommodate multiple languages but they have a little longer response time of 28 seconds. One thing that is notable about LifeStation's monitoring center is that each call made to the center is answered by two care specialists and one of them will remain on the line for comfort and support until help arrives. This extra level of care is just one of the many ways that LifeStation goes the extra mile to provide its users with the best possible service.

OUR PICK

Both companies offer high-quality medical alert systems with a wide range of features and options to choose from. However, we believe that Bay Alarm Medical is the better choice for a few reasons.

First, Bay Alarm offers more comprehensive packages that include a combination of home-based and mobile devices so users can have the best of both worlds. The company also offers devices with a wider range of coverage which can be really helpful for users who have larger homes. Plus, they offer both landline and cellular network connection options so users can choose the system that best suits them.

In addition, Bay Alarm offers more affordable plans with no long-term contracts required. The company's charge for extra buttons is less expensive than LifeStation and the overall cost of the plans is cheaper. Their most expensive home-based system that comes with a base unit, a personal help button and four wall buttons can only be purchased for only $39.95 a month.

Finally, Bay Alarm's monitoring centers have a shorter response time of 20 seconds. They are also able to accommodate more languages which can be really helpful for non-English speakers.